Noise minimizing device for home ice maker



Jan. 22, 1963 w. G. PEYER NoIsE MINIMIZING DEVICE EOE HOME ICE MAKER Filed Deo. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gea/v auf 5m/0 @pe Jan. 22, 1963 w. G. PEYER 3,074,251

NoIsE MINIMIZING DEVICE FoR HOME ICE MAKER Filed Deo. 19, 19Go 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,074,251 NOISE ING DEVICE FOR I-IME ICE MAKER Wilbur G. Peyer, St. Paul, Minn., assigner to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 76,659 3 Claims. (Cl. 62-340) This invention relates to an ice maker of the type in which water ows over a refrigerated surface to be frozen into a slab of ice and this ice slab is later subdivided into small ice bodies such as ice cubes.

In such an ice maker it is customary to flow water over the refrigerated surface member with the excess Water flowing into a reservoir from which it is recirculated over the refrigerated surface of the surface member.

The noise of the water falling into a body of water in its circulation as well as the noise of the water flowing Ithrough the various conduits is often objectionable particularly where this type of ice maker is used in the home for houhehold ice making. This invention is concerned with apparatus for minimizing the water flow noises.

One of the features of this invention is to provide apparatus for minimizing water flow noises in an ice maker having a refrigerated surface member over which water flows to be frozen into ice and a receiver for receiving the excess water from this member.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof as Shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of an ice maker embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 2 2 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view of the refrigeration circuit of the ice maker.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail in section of FIG- URE 2.

In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings the ice maker comprises a cabinet having an access door 11 at the front of the cabinet. Within the cabinet 10 is a liner 12 having a bottom below the ybottom of the access door 11 for receiving ice blocks 13 formed by the ice maker. This ice maker is of a well known type and the construction and operation of an ice maker of this type are shown in Ayres et al. Patent 2,682,155 assigned to the same assignee as is this application.

In general this type of ice maker comprises an inclined surface member 14 that is refrigerated by an evaporator passage 15 located therebeneath. Water flowing over the refrigerated surface member 14 is frozen into a slab of ice 16 which upon release from the member 14 rslides therefrom onto a cutter device 17. This cutter device contains electrically heated wires (not shown) for cutting the ice slab 16 into the ice bodies 13. These falling ice bodies are deflected away from the door 11 by means of an inclined baie 18. The details of the evaporator passage 1'5 and of the ice slab cutter device 17 are not shown as they form no part of the present invention. However, similar elements are shown and described in detail in the above-mentioned Ayres et al. patent.

In order to circulate water over the inclined surface member to be frozen into the ice slab 16, there is provided a water iiow system including a reservoir 19 within the liner 12 beneath the refrigerated member 14. From this reservoir, having located adjacent the bottom thereof a submerged pump 20 powered by a motor 21, water is forced by this pump 2li from the reservoir 19 through rice a conduit 22 into a distributor head 23 adjacent the top of the inclined surface member 14.

From the head 23 the water flows over the inclined, refrigerated surface member 14 where it is frozen into an ice slab 16. Excess water then ows in a stream as indicated at 24 in FIGURE 4 into a receiver 25l from which it flows through a conduit assembly 26 into the reservoir 19 for recirculation over the inclined member 14.

In order that there will be an adequate supply of water, make-up Water is provided through a conduit 27 from which water flows into the receiver 25. Water ow through the conduit 27 is controlled in the well known manner by means of a solenoid valve 28 which is energized during the defrost cycle.

The reservoir 19 is provided with an overflow conduit 29 having an open elevated upper end 30 adjacent but beneath the top of the reservoir 19. The overflow conduit 29 leads to a drain 31. This drain 31 also receives water produced by the melting of the ice bodies 13 during the period they are stored within the liner 12.

In the ordinary ice maker of this type the water owing from the inclined surface member 14 as indicated at 32 in FIGURE 2 makes considerable noise as it falls into a receiver such as the receiver 25. This is not too irnportant in commercial installations but can be annoying in household type ice makers. In order to minimize this noise the present invention is concerned with apparatus for intercepting the stream of water 32 and releasing it into the receiver 25 at a controlled rate where noises are minimized.

The lower end of the inclined, refrigerated surface member 14 is provided with a transverse depending lip 34 which constitutes a water flow portion in the path of the stream 32. Cooperating with this depending lip 34 is a deiiector 35 which itself has a depending lip 36 that normally cooperates with the lip 34 to form a catch basin 37.

The dellector 35 is made of stainless steel and i-s formed at each end thereof with a partial loop 38 engaging an end stud 39 to provide a hinged construction. The deflector 35 has a body portion 40l extending away from the stud 39, the refrigerated member 14 and the lip 36 in order that the center of gravity of the deilector 35 will be located outwardly of these parts. This results in the weight of the detlector 35 constantly urging the lip 36 into engagement with the lip 34 in order to form the reservoir 37. As can be seen most clearly in FIGURE 4, the lips 34 and 36 form a V in vertical cross section.

As can be seen in FIGURE 4, the reservoir 37 collects water from the falling stream 32. The weight of water within the reservoir 37 forces the deflector 35 away from the lip 34 to release this water in a thin uniform stream 24. This stream then falls into the body of water 41 within the receiver 25. Because of the interruption of the stream 32 by the reservoir 37 and because the release of the water from this reservoir is in a thin, controlled rate stream 24 which is uniform all along the width of lip 34, the noise of the water falling into the body of water Within the receiver is greatly reduced over what the noise would be without the provision of the reservoir 37 to interrupt the stream.

The conduit assembly 26 through which water ows from the receiver 25 into the reservoir 19 constitutes a pair of concentric tubes 42 and 43. The outer tube 42 has an upper end 44 elevated above the bottom of the receiver 25 so as to constitute a weir over which water ows from the body 41. The interior 45v of this outer tube is tapered inwardly from top to bottom.

The inner tube 43 is provided on its outer surface with a pair of diametrically opposed, outwardly extending pins 46. These pins y46 rest on the bottoms of similarly located U-shaped recesses 47 at the top of the outer tube 42. With this arrangement the inner tube 43: is suspended freely within the outer tube 42 and water ows from the body of water 41 down through the annular space 4S between the tubes 42'and' 43. Because the space'48 isvof gradually reduced cross sectional area from top to bottom, the ow of water in this space is quite slow and ap- .proaches being a static column of water. Water also ows from the body of water 41 down through the interior of inner tube 43 The noise of the water running through the tube 43 is muiied or deadened by the almost static column of Water in space 48. 'The fact that the ends of tubes 42 and 43 terminate below the normal level of water in the reservoir 19 also has a quieting effect on the water entering the reservoir from above.

FIGURE 3 illustrates diagrammatically the refrigeration system for the ice maker. This system is conventional in an ice maker of this type. The system includes the surface member plate 14 having associated therewith evaporator passage 15. The system also includes a condenser 50 and a compressor r51. When the ice slab 16 has reached the desired thickness, a control (not shown) causes a solenoid valve 52 to open. This causes hot high pressure gas from the compressor 51 t0 by-pass the condenser S and pass directly into the evaporator passage 15. This hot gas causes the ice slab 16 to be loosened from the surface member 14 so that it slides from the member 14 onto the cutter device i7. As soon as this hasl occurred, the valve 52 is again closed so that the refrigerant follows its normal path from the compressor 51 through the condenser Sii and capillary 53 into the evaporator passage for again chilling the surface member 14 to a, subfreezingtemperature;

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings it is my intention that the invention be' not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

l. Apparatus for minimizing water ow noise in an ice maker having an inclined refrigerated member over which water flows to be frozen into a slab of ice and a water receiver beneath a lower edge of said member for receiving excess water from said member, comprising: a depending lip on said lower edge over which said water flows to said receiver; and a deflector having a depending lip engaging said edge lip to form a catch basin therewith, said deilector and edge lip being relatively movable to release water from said basin in a thin stream.

2. Apparatus for minimizing water flow noise in an ice maker having an inclined refrigerated member over which water flows to be frozen into a slab of ice and a water receiver beneath a lower edge of said member for receiving excess water from said member, comprising: a depending lip on said lower edge over which said water flows to said receiver; a delector having a depending lip engaging said edge lip to form a catch basin therewith; hinge means mounting said deflector for movement toward and away from said edge lip; and gravity responsive means urging said lips toward said engagement.

3. Apparatus for minimizing water How noise in an ice maker having an inclined refrigerated member over which water flows to be frozen into a slab of ice and a water receiver beneath a lower edge of said member for receiving excess water from said member, comprising: a depending lip on said lower'edge over which said water flows to said receiver; a deflector having a depending lip engaging said edge lip to form a catch basin therewith; and hinge lmeans mounting said deflector for movement toward and away from lsaid edge lip, said deector having a center of gravity spaced from said hinge means to urge said .deector lip into basin forming association with said edge lip.

References @sited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,586,588 Weseman Feb. 19, 1952 2,682,l Ayres June 29, 1954 2,747,375 Pichler May 29, 1956 2,887,852 Thomas May 26, 1959 2,959,026 Swanson Nov. 8, 1960 

1. APPARATUS FOR MINIMIZING WATER FLOW NOISE IN AN ICE MAKER HAVING AN INCLINED REFRIGERATED MEMBER OVER WHICH WATER FLOWS TO BE FROZEN INTO A SLAB OF ICE AND A WATER RECEIVER BENEATH A LOWER EDGE OF SAID MEMBER FOR RECEIVING EXCESS WATER FROM SAID MEMBER, COMPRISING: A DEPENDING LIP ON SAID LOWER EDGE OVER WHICH SAID WATER FLOWS TO SAID RECEIVER; AND A DEFLECTOR HAVING A DEPENDING LIP ENGAGING SAID EDGE LIP TO FORM A CATCH BASIN THEREWITH, SAID DEFLECTOR AND EDGE LIP BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE TO RELEASE WATER FROM SAID BASIN IN A THIN STREAM. 